Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2020 and Beyond

Gartner’s new top strategic predictions for 2020 and beyond top examine how the human condition is being challenged as technology creates varied and ever-changing expectations of humans.

“Technology is changing the notion of what it means to be human,“ said Daryl Plummer, distinguished vice president and Gartner Fellow. “As workers and citizens see technology as an enhancement of their abilities, the human condition changes as well. CIOs in end-user organizations must understand the effects of the change and reset expectations for what technology means.“

Augmentations, decisions, emotions and companionship are the four aspects that are forging a new reality for human use of technology. “Beyond offering insights into some of the most critical areas of technology evolution, this year’s predictions help us move beyond thinking about mere notions of technology adoption and draw us more deeply into issues surrounding what it means to be human in the digital world,“ said Plummer.

By 2023, the number of people with disabilities employed will triple due to AI and emerging technologies, reducing barriers to access, says Gartner. By 2024, AI identification of emotions will influence more than half of the online advertisements you see. Through 2023, 30% of IT organizations will extend BYOD policies with “bring your own enhancement“ (BYOE) to address augmented humans in the workforce.

By 2025, 50% of people with a smartphone but without a bank account will use a mobile-accessible cryptocurrency account. By 2023, a self-regulating association for oversight of AI and machine learning designers will be established in at least four of the G7 countries. Also by 2023, 40% of professional workers will orchestrate their business application experiences and capabilities like they do their music streaming experience.

Gartner further predicts that by 2023, up to 30% of world news and video content will be authenticated as real by blockchain countering deep fake technology. Through 2021, digital transformation initiatives will take large traditional enterprises on average twice as long and cost twice as much as anticipated.

By 2023, individual activities will be tracked digitally by an “Internet of Behavior“ to influence benefit and service eligibility for 40% of people worldwide. By 2024, the World Health Organization will identify online shopping as an addictive disorder, as millions abuse digital commerce and encounter financial stress.